第70章 LAST POEMS--MORE MISSIONS OF CHARITY.(1)

This was the last occasion on which Jasmin publicly appeared before his fellow-townsmen;and it could not perhaps have been more fitting and appropriate.He still went on composing poetry;amongst other pieces,La Vierge,dedicated to the Bishop of Algiers,who acknowledged it in a complimentary letter.In his sixty-second year,when his hair had become white,he composed some New Recollections (Mous Noubels Soubenis),in which he again recalled the memories of his youth.In his new Souvenirs he only gives a few fresh stories relating to the period of his infancy and youth.Indeed they scarcely go beyond the period covered by his original Souvenirs.

In the midst of his various honours at Paris,Toulouse,and Agen,he did not forget his true mission,the help and relief of the afflicted.He went to Albi,and gave a recitation which produced 2000francs.The whole of this sum went to the poor.There was nothing for himself but applause,and showers of flowers thrown at his feet by the ladies present.

It was considered quite unprecedented that so large a sum should have been collected in so poor a district.The mayor however was prepared for the event.After a touching address to the poet,he presented him with a ring of honour,with the arms of the town,and the inscribed words:"Albi a Jasmin."He went for the same purpose,to Castera in the Gers,a decayed town,to recite his poems,in the words of the cure,for "our poor church."He was received as usual with great enthusiasm;and a present of silver was given to him with the inscribed words:A Jasmin,l'Eglise du Castera reconnaissante!"Jasmin answered,by reciting an impromptu he had composed for the occasion.

At Bordeaux,one of his favourite cities,he was received with more than the usual enthusiasm.There he made a collection in aid of the Conference of Saint-vincent de Paul.In the midst of the seance,he appeared almost inspired,and recited "La Charite dans Bordeaux"--the grand piece of the evening.The assembly rose en masse,and cheered the poet with frantic applause.

The ladies threw an avalanche of bouquets at the hero of the fete.

After quiet had been restored,the Society of Saint-vincent de Paul cordially thanked Jasmin through the mouth of their President;and presented him with a magnificent golden circlet,with this inscription:"La Caritat dins Bourdeau!"Among his other recitations towards the close of his life,for the purpose of collecting money for the relief of the poor,were those at Montignac in Perigord;at Saint-Macaire;at Saint-Andre de Cubzac,and at Monsegur.Most of these were remote villages far apart from each other.He had disappointed his friends at Arcachon several years before,when he failed to make his appearance with the Abbe Masson,during their tour on behalf of the church of Vergt,owing to the unpunctuality of the steamboat;but he promised to visit them at some future period.

He now redeemed his promise.The poor were in need,and he went to their help.A large audience had assembled to listen to his recitations,and a considerable sum of money was collected.

The audience overwhelmed him with praises and the Mayor of Teste the head department of the district--after thanking Jasmin for his admirable assistance,presented him with a gold medal,on which was inscribed:"Fete de Charite d'Arcachon:A Jasmin."These laurels and medals had become so numerous,that Jasmin had almost become tired of such tributes to his benevolence.

He went to Bareges again,where Monseigneur the Bishop of Tarbes had appealed to him for help in the erection of an hospital.

From that town he proceeded to Saint-Emilion and Castel-Naudary,to aid the Society of Mutual Help in these two towns.In fact,he was never weary of well-doing."This calamitous winter,"he wrote in January,1854,"requires all my devotion.I will obey my conscience and give myself to the help of the famished and suffering,even to the extinction of my personal health."And so it was to the end.When his friends offered him public entertainments,he would say,"No,no!give the money to the poor!"What gave Jasmin as much pleasure as any of the laurels and crowns conferred upon him,was a beautifully bound copy of the 'Imitation of Christ,'with the following inscription:

"A testimony from the Bishop of Saint-Flour,in acknowledgment of the services which the great poet has rendered to the poor of his diocese."No poet had so many opportunities of making money,and of enriching himself by the contributions of the rich as well as the poor.But such an idea never entered his mind.He would have regarded it as a sacrilege to evoke the enthusiasm of the people,and make money;for his own benefit,or to speculate upon the triumphs of his muse.Gold earned in this way,he said,would have burnt his fingers.He worked solely for the benefit of those who could not help themselves.His poetry was to him like a sweet rose that delighted the soul and produced the fruits of charity.

His conduct has been called Quixotic.Would that there were more Quixotes in the world!After his readings,which sometimes produced from two to three thousand francs,the whole of the proceeds were handed over to those for whose benefit they had been given,after deducting,of course,the expenses of travelling,of which he kept a most accurate account.

It is estimated that the amount of money collected by Jasmin during his recitations for philanthropic objects amounted to at least 1,500,000francs (equal to 62,500sterling).Besides,there were the labour of his journeys,and the amount of his correspondence,which were almost heroic.M.Rabain[1]states that from 1825to 1860,the number of letters received by Jasmin was more than twelve thousand.